WotC to Release 1st Edition Premium Core Rulebooks Reprints

In 1974, the world changed forever when Gary Gygax introduced the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The legacy of his innovative ideas and the extensive reach of his powerful influence can be seen in virtually every facet of gaming today.

To help honor his work and his memory, WotC has created limited-edition reprints of the original 1st Edition core rulebooks: the Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide. These premium versions of the original AD&D rulebooks have been lovingly reprinted with the original art and content, but feature an attractive new cover design commemorating this re-release. Available in limited quantities as a hobby channel exclusive in North America.

Your purchase of this monumental book helps support the Gygax Memorial Fund—established to immortalize the “Father of Roleplaying Games” with a memorial statue in Lake Geneva, WI.

On weird fantasy: "The Otus/Elmore rule: When adding something new to the campaign, try and imagine how Erol Otus would depict it. If you can, that's far enough...it's a good idea. If you can picture a Larry Elmore version...it's far too mundane and boring, excise immediately." - Kellri, K&K Alehouse

The PDF seems to be a solicitation that WotC is sending to retailers, asking them to carry these items for sale. It seems to be for the general retail audience.

And I expect it to be HUGE! I'm a player who really hasn't played anything other than 4e, and I am totally pre-ordering these as soon as I'm allowed to do so. It sounds like these are fancy versions of the original books ("premium reprints"), which I'd love to have copies of.

This is so very, very encouraging to hear from WotC. Maybe they'll actually have some success in bringing people together! And it benefits the Gygax Memorial in some way - how cool is that?

Check out my blog, Online Dungeon Master, for maps and tips for running online games (especially in MapTool). Also, running in-person games with a laptop and projector.

Wow, this was not something I was expecting, but it is many ways awesome.

But $45 for the DMG and $35 for the PHB? I'm glad I kept my books, and in good shape.

I've blown worse than $120 on worse things, heck that could be a bar tab one night when I want to do shots. I might buy two sets just to have a loaner set.
I'll gladly buy these reproductions, if only to show WotC there is an older gamer market like myself out there.
The giving to the Memorial Fund is just an added bonus in my book.

http://www.thedelversdungeon.com/images/tdd1.gif
Parenthetically, photostat copies of the manuscript rules were made, and when the commercial game was published, fans not willing or financially unable to expend the princely sum of $10 for the product did likewise, copying the material on school (mainly college/university) machines. We were well aware of this, and many gamers who had spent their hard-earned money to buy the game were more irate than we were. In all, though, the 'pirate' material was more helpful that not. Many new fans were made by DMs who were using such copies to run their games. - Gary Gygax